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long distance comfort - seat recommendations


Diesel

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Hello all. I am planning a trip from Ottawa to Vancouver in June of this year. I ride a basically stock Honda 750 ACE, and was considering buying a Mustang seat for the journey, but I thought I should check in here for advice / recommendations first. Are there any aftermarket pads, wool seat covers, etc. that might make my stock seat more bearable while saving me a couple of hundred bucks, or is the Mustang really the only way to go? I am almost 6 ft tall and weigh in at 185lbs or so - and honestly spending 6 hours in the saddle is no problem at all. 10 hours, on the other hand, leads to serious hamburger butt, and I am going to try for up to 1000km per day, so....

Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated all. Thanks,

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First thing I did in 2005 was replace seat on Vstar 1100 with a mustang seat.. 74000kms later best money spent

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That sounds familiar Mr. Haney - I have heard a number of riders praising the comforts of a mustang seat - just thought I should ask for the advice of the forum. Thank you for checking in though - I do appreciate it - and after hearing it enough I will break down and spend the money, you can be sure.

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Thank you Rock'n. I had read this same post shortly after buying my bike last June, and then completely forgot about it. As I mentioned earlier, rides of 6 hours or so have been no trouble at all - I put 18,000 kms on my ACE that way this past season - but thinking about it now - the mod looks like a good place to start. If worst comes to worst, well then I am still looking at replacing the seat - but why not try this first - thanks again man.

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If you can ride 6 hours or more no problem with the stock seat then my guess is a Mustang seat is a waste of money for you.

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Think Sheepskin Pelt! :idea::idea:

Probably the cheapest place around Ottawa to get a real sheepskin pelt is this one at Ikea; http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/60114112/

I average more km/year (37,500+km) than a lot of members ride in 3 years. Spend a lot of time in the saddle with some days 15+hrs. Was out to the west coast twice this summer on my bike.

A real sheepskin pelt not only keeps your butt cool when it's warm/hot out, but also warm when it's cool/cold out. It's a 'natural fibre. No sweating down there. No more sitting on sticky hot, or freezing rock hard vinyl seats.

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Been using them since 1977 -

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It's all about Function!

ya want more tips for long distance comfort, PM me.

Dusty

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That is the direction I am leaning in right now Dusty Boots. I figure the added layer of 'pelt', combined with it's natural benefits of air flow, moisture-wicking and insulation make it the natural choice.

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After spending a long day caught in traffic coming back from Port Dover I said never again and bought a Mustang seat. Best money ever spent!!! Since you are not in any immediate hurry, watch on eBay that is where I got mine for less than $300. Just be patient. I have been to the east coast and back, putting 12 hour days in the saddle with no problem since.

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Also ... get rid of the jeans. The cut of them make them uncomfortable for long distance touring.

I wear nylon convertible hiking pants. They breath well, pack up to almost nothing, dry fast when washed/wet and I use just the shorts under my mesh riding pants to keep cool.

I see you wear an armoured riding jacket. My most versatile 3 season riding outfit is a Tourmaster Draft Mesh riding jacket with the 'Aqua-therm' liner, a set of Tourmaster Mesh riding pants and a heated jacket liner. I add/subtract layers when needed

You might want to think about some kind of a windshield, as the bugs on the prairies will be terrible!! Nothing like you've seen here! :o

Also, think about how you are going to keep hydrated. The air/humidity out west is much lower than here in the east, so you need to keep well hydrated. I use a 2L bladder, with an extension hose kit to drink from. Stop at a gas station and add ice from the fountain drink section to keep things cool. ;)

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Dusty

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Thanks for all of the tips lads - keep em' coming! I appreciate hearing from the experience of others.

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Guest Tomahawk

Ikea usually has sheep skin remnants. About 40.00 I think. Pick a big one and trim it to fit.

Mt Kat is not a soft ride al all. I was looking at the corbin seat for it. Then one day I am pulling out of the gate at work and there's a bike gel pad laying on the road. I picked it up and it's the same colour as my bike. Cha ching. But check out Ikea I had one of their remnants on my Wing.

But if you plan on keeping the bike get the Mustang and it will add to the resale value of the bike if you do sell it

Good Luck

Tom

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  • 3 weeks later...

Last year i owned a 750 areo. i used a mustang seat. Really is the most comfortable seat if your intending on rideing more than 6 hrs /day. One othe seat cover you could try before you buy the mustang seat should be the Airhawk seat. The air pressure in the seat is adjustable. I found that the combination of the two i can ride 10hrs fairly easily with regular stops for fuel and meals. Have a great trip.

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After much research, and talking to a large number of riders, I have decided not to purchase the Mustang at this time. Almost everyone I have spoken to, including the guy with the custom seat coverings booth at the Ottawa Motorcycle show, told me that if I can stand 6 to 8 hours in the saddle as is, a Mustang is a waste of money. So, I went to the unbelievably large new Ikea and, for $39.00, got a nice sheepskin remnant.

I will provide feedback after a reasonable amount of test-riding this spring. I also had a Progressive front end installed while in storage - but I digress,....

Thanks again for all of the input everyone.

Joe

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Here's an option, if you can ride for a nice long time on your original seat and you don't want to spend a whole lot....... Many of us have gone this route, go to Canadian Tire, buy the Gel seat pad on sale for $9.00 and your good. When you don't need it, put it in the saddlebag. When I go for a long distance, I place it on the seat. Very nice on the butt, extends riding time.

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  • 2 months later...

Good luck with that 1000km per day. The mustang is great for long rides but i would also suggest that you buy an airhawk air inflated cushion. install the airhawk on top of the mustang seat and inflate only a few pounds of air(just enough to raise your tailbone off the mustang) This combo will make a big difference for those long rides. It did for me when i owned my honda 750 areo last year and i'm 5-11 and 200lbs GIVE OR TAKE LOL.

Have a great trip.

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